Best car for my new dog?..Hound Mobile
Discussion
So last week I had the exciting news from the breeder my Italian Spinone Puppy has been born in !0 weeks I will have a dog in my life....
As well as trying to dog proof the house my mind has turned to my next vehicle .At the moment the puppy will be manageable in any car however this breed grow pretty quickly to large dog status not a wolfhound but fairly substantial.
Currently I am leasing my S1(360 a month) and I have loved it for 2 years plus now .The lease finishes in March and I have started to think where to go next. My car is not used for the daily commute and is generally used only at the weekend and for trips .
I mind has wandered all over the place to be honest.
Do I need an estate ? Perhaps ditch the lease malarkey and get an old 4x4 (2006 Range Over) ?
Performance estate Golf R ,Skoda ?
Car I want and deal with the dog via cabs hire cars?
I am fairly open although nothing really floats my boat from Audi currently so will probably swap brand
I am sure there are many dog lovers here any thoughts?
Get something you don't mind getting dirty inside.
Size-wise, it depends on how much other stuff (people, luggage, blow-up dolls etc) is likely to be in the car along with the dog. I've got a Golf and there's just about enough room for the dog (medium-large), her stuff, and our luggage for a weekend away. That's two of us - the dog sits on the back seat.
If you get anything fast, bear in mind it won't be fast when your dog is in it - dogs apparently don't like being thrown around roundabouts at 1000mph.
Size-wise, it depends on how much other stuff (people, luggage, blow-up dolls etc) is likely to be in the car along with the dog. I've got a Golf and there's just about enough room for the dog (medium-large), her stuff, and our luggage for a weekend away. That's two of us - the dog sits on the back seat.
If you get anything fast, bear in mind it won't be fast when your dog is in it - dogs apparently don't like being thrown around roundabouts at 1000mph.
We got a Hungarian WHV and bought a freelander 2 for the job.
LR do this fantastic load liner that covers the entire boot. It's been a god send for the numerous 'deposits' the pup has made while being transported.
Un-zip, remove, Hose clean, deodorise (puppy s
t STINKS !! 
) and then put back in. Would hate to have to try and remove dog eggs from the boot carpet...esp the runny ones lol
LR do this fantastic load liner that covers the entire boot. It's been a god send for the numerous 'deposits' the pup has made while being transported.
Un-zip, remove, Hose clean, deodorise (puppy s
t STINKS !! ) and then put back in. Would hate to have to try and remove dog eggs from the boot carpet...esp the runny ones lolAfter years of getting fed up of every car we got becoming a filthy, dog-mobile, a couple of years ago we invested in a purpose-built box/crate for our two spaniels and it has made a huge difference with regard to keeping the car clean so I thoroughly recommend considering one if you can get one big enough for your Spinone. It's worth every penny if you care anything at all about the interior of your car and stops you worrying too much about keeping your dog out of mud/water/other smelly stuff whilst out on walks.
Funny dog story from a car salesman. Daddy buys an Audi RS6. Daddy takes kids and dog to the park in his 'new' car. On the way home, son says (future PH'er) 'show me how quick your new car is dad' So dad does. Forgets about woof woof in the rear. Result, dog now terrified of new car, won't go in it!
Alex_225 said:
georgejoshington said:
Get something you don't mind getting dirty inside.
That would be my thinking too! I had an '06 Saab 9-3 estate that would be perfect for this kind of thing. Only cost me £1,200. Could you run something like that as a second car? I run a Range Rover TDV8 with a pointer, but it's surprisingly small in the boot: it's acceptable for a large dog, but not as generously spaced as you might expect.
I'd go with a Saab 9-5 estate, rather than the 9-3. Or a Mercedes E-class estate if you can find one without rust.
juice said:
We got a Hungarian WHV and bought a freelander 2 for the job.
We have a Hungarian WHV pup too, now 5 months old. No issue with puppy poop to date in the car but he does get car sick, does yours? Is it breed specific or are we just lucky 
?We're looking at selling my MX5 and getting a 3.0CRD Grand Cherokee, ummed about Disco 2s but didn't like some of the rust/leaky sunroof/other issues I read about, also need 4x4 for launching the boat on slipways...
Other thoughts were Subaru Legacy 3.0R Type Bs...
TiminYorkshire said:
juice said:
We got a Hungarian WHV and bought a freelander 2 for the job.
We have a Hungarian WHV pup too, now 5 months old. No issue with puppy poop to date in the car but he does get car sick, does yours? Is it breed specific or are we just lucky ?We're looking at selling my MX5 and getting a 3.0CRD Grand Cherokee, ummed about Disco 2s but didn't like some of the rust/leaky sunroof/other issues I read about, also need 4x4 for launching the boat on slipways...
Other thoughts were Subaru Legacy 3.0R Type Bs...
On journey's he's pretty good....He whines for the first few minutes and then settles down. No car-sickness so far (touch wood). I think I'd prefer the smell of sick to the dog egg deposits, no amount of window opening will get rid of that while you're on the move
Can't recommend a boot liner highly enough though, that and the dog guard are the best things I've bought for the car !
I have a 2003 FFRR. My Welsh Sheepdog can't (or won't) jump into the boot. It's just too high. He does like the front seat though.
Be aware that an L322 is just waiting to break. If it isn't broken, it soon will be.
ETA: they are lovely when working though.
Be aware that an L322 is just waiting to break. If it isn't broken, it soon will be.
ETA: they are lovely when working though.
Edited by mr_spock on Wednesday 12th April 22:00
I got a 2016 Skoda Octavia VRS estate for it's mix of dog carrying ability and all around ability as well.
Great decision. And our greyhound loves it. Has a rubber mat in the back and a few blankets. We are looking at getting second dog and there will be more than enough space for both.
Great decision. And our greyhound loves it. Has a rubber mat in the back and a few blankets. We are looking at getting second dog and there will be more than enough space for both.
Oh, yeah. Also, I lined the entire boot and seat backs with 3mm ribbed rubber matting from eBay.
And bought fitted seat covers in red leatherette from http://www.seatskinz.co.uk.
So now the car is fairly dog proof as long as they don't try to chew any car parts - which they haven't.
And bought fitted seat covers in red leatherette from http://www.seatskinz.co.uk.
So now the car is fairly dog proof as long as they don't try to chew any car parts - which they haven't.
Equus said:
I'd go with a Saab 9-5 estate, rather than the 9-3. Or a Mercedes E-class estate if you can find one without rust.
Yeah I had the estate and it looked great and the boot was great. I actually opted for an E Class (saloon) to replace the Saab funnily enough. A good E Class estate (S211) would be a fair bit more pricey to buy that's the only down side. I paid £4k for my E but £1,200 for my Saab. Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff